Where to start?

So, I don't have a sphynx yet and I'm not planning on bringing one home until at least next December. I have decided (for now anyways) that I'd like to go with a breeder. In the past my animals have always been shelter dogs or strays. My only experience with breeders is limited to those who bred dogs. I assume many of the same qualifications would apply.

I've read that sphynx can be prone to some heart problems, so I'll be looking for a breeder who screens for that. But are there any other common health clearances I should be looking for?

Now, I'm going to apologize for my ignorance, but what about titles? I've always been more of a "dog person" so I'm just curious as to what to look for in a cat breeder. Optimally the sire and dam of the litter should be titled right? Does titling cats work similar as in dog conformation?

Sphynx get HCM. You need to use a breeder that scans thier cats. I show my cats and can help you. The titles are not the same in TICA and CFA. Do you want to show the kitten when you get it? Tica Tiltles go from Champion to Surpreme. CFA goes from Champion to Grand. I can explain more if you want.

Great you are starting your search I will add, to make sure the breeder has both the mom and the dad and that cages are not used, also the breeder has no problem having you to their home and visiting her pets. Ask questions and make sure they are answered. Best of luck!

welcome, from another dog person! it's much harder choosing an ethical cat breeder, isn't it?! i honestly just googled sphynx breeders, and started looking to get an idea of what i did and didn't want. thanks to this site, i knew to look for a breeder that scanned for hcm. beyond that, i'd find a breeder who's cats i liked, and emailed them with lots of questions. i asked questions here, too. several members helped me out- steering me away from breeders who looked legit, but weren't, and verifying those that were.

when i started looking, i was actually planning on getting a kitten from a local breeder. after reading and doing some more research, i realized she wasn't the type of breeder i wanted to support. so even though i could have easily picked a kitten up from her, i decided to go with a different breeder in another state.

Great you are starting your search I will add, to make sure the breeder has both the mom and the dad and that cages are not used, also the breeder has no problem having you to their home and visiting her pets. Ask questions and make sure they are answered. Best of luck!

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that's another big difference between dog and cat breeders! generally, a reputable dog breeder will not own both sire and dam, and people looking for puppies are told to consider owning both to be a warning sign. it's doesn't ALWAYS mean "backyard breeder", but it is usually a sign that the breeder is just putting together two convenient dogs, instead of looking for the best match for the bitch.

I'm with u dragynflye I have always been a dog person I only had 1 cat before & I didn't take care of him my ma did! Every1 on this site told me everything I needed to know so far they r so helpful they all give the best 411! I have learned that cats r so much diffrent than dogs not to mention a sphynx! I'm still not really a cat person but Maggie is deff not a cat more like a monkey/ little kid lol!

Thanks for the information, I never would have thought to look for this. Like dragynflye said, it would've sent up a red flag for me before reading your post.

So far I've only causally looked over some breeder's websites. So far my favorite is all the way in Russia...not exactly local. I was originally considering NY, NJ, CT, eastern PA or MA breeders, but I'm going to keep my options open. I'm not sure about an entirely different continent though. Hopefully I'll be able to check out a cat show or two soon in the near future.

Wrinkles breeder has kittens right now and a litter due in 2 weeks. I can send you her info if you wnat. She is in San Diego and her kittens would work better for pets. She does scan now and her cats wee neg. I believe the mom of the new kittens came from Russia. You can look at the TICA and CFA breeders list also

I would also google any breeder's name you think you are interested in using and seeing if they have had any complaints filed against them. If there are any, ask the breeder for an explanation. Ask a lot of questions and if they hedge on anything or don't seem like they want to answer, choose a different breeder. Have a look at their contract beforehand and if there is anything strange there, choose another breeder. Ask for the name of their vet--and if it's alright to contact them. Ask about housing arrangements--how crowded is the cattery? Do they use cages? Can you come for a visit? Then go for your gut feeling--don't let the cuteness of the cat rule your instincts about the person you'll be dealing with.